Week of August 15, 1987

A Northwest Airlines MD-80 with 153 on board, crashes in a fireball on a busy

highway as it was taking off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport bound for Phoenix.

It‟s believed that all on board have perished. But wait, a 4-year-old girl is found

under her mother‟s body and is still alive.

American journalist Charles Glass, who was kidnapped in West Beirut in June,

escapes from captivity before dawn and is safe in Syrian hands.

In Hungerford, England - a gunman with an automatic rifle kills at least 14 and

injures 14 people in a rampage.

Titanic treasure - Divers retrieve a battered

valise containing a fortune in gems, bank

notes and coins from the famed sunken liner.

A group called the Ocean research and

Exploration is spending $2.5 million for the

adventure.

The AFL-CIO ends its decade-old boycott of

Coors beer - the longest running and one of

the most bitter labor-management disputes

in recent history. Coors has agreed to allow

votes on union representation at Coors‟

flagship brewery in Golden CO and to other

concessions.

Passing - Rudolf Hess - the Hitler deputy who parachuted into Scotland in 1941

in a bid to end World War II.

Sports - Oakland Athletics first baseman Mark

McGuire hits 39 homers for the season - a

record for a rookie.

The LA Raiders sign to build a 65,000-seat

stadium in Irwindale, East of Los Angeles.

Killed - National Geographic photographer

William Weems in a helicopter accident near

Washington.

Week of August 15, 1987

Technology - It looks like Marantz will be the first to sell digital audio tape

recorders (DAT). This would be the first time consumers could record to a digital

format, something that makes the music industry nervous. But, It could be

delayed on the controversy over the right to tape music. The debate over DAT

recorders on one side involves the recording industry, which wants laws

preventing unauthorized home taping of compact discs. The RIAA even formed a

group called “Coalition to Save America‟s Music,” They argue that artists and

recording companies will lose sales because owners of DAT machines can

borrow compact discs and tape them for free. Home taping on conventional

analogue cassette decks, they say, costs the industry as much as $1.5 billion a

year in lost tape and record sales.

Entertainment news -

Martha Raye files a $10 million lawsuit

against David letterman claiming he

defamed her by joking on the air that she

used condoms. In a monologue,

Letterman said he “saw the most

terrifying commercial on television last

night featuring Martha Raye, actress,

condom user…” “The comment was a

take-off on Raye‟s long-running Polident

(denture adhesive) commercials.

Ted Turner‟s Color Systems Technology Inc. announces plans to colorize its first

major package of public domain movies, including those starring James Cagney,

Bette Davis, Orson Welles and Gary Cooper.

The FCC rules RKO General unworthy of their licenses it holds for 14 radio and

television stations. That includes KRTH-Los Angeles, WFYR-Chicago, WRKS-

New York and WROR-FM Boston.

Music news - Motown announces that it is launching an ambitious $38 million

program to develop and promote new artists. Once one of the most influential

pop music companies, It has not fared well in

recent years as it has lost some big names and

has not developed new talent as it use to.

Rappers The Beastie Boys press a lawsuit

against the city of Jacksonville (FL). They‟re

taking action after the City Council passed an

ordinance requiring the act to place a “for Mature

Audiences” warning on all tickets and

Week of August 15, 1987

advertisements for an August 9 concert with Run-D.M.C.

Much anticipated - Everybody is talking about Michael Jackson‟s “Bad” album, to

be released Aug. 31. Epic Records says it has pre-orders of 2.25 million. Nice!

CBS Inc. sues WHTZ (Z-100) New York for repeated airings of Michael

Jackson‟s “I Just Can‟t Stop Loving You” before its official August 1 release.

Actually, Z-100 broadcast the song 2 days before its July 22 advanced copy

date, causing several competing New York stations to cry foul.

Bruce Springsteen promises a new album by early fall - “Tunnel of Love.”

The Los Angeles band Guns „N

Roses is starting to make waves with

their first album - “Appetite For

Destruction.” Signed to Geffen

Records, the album is unique in that it

has three album designs - one for

CD‟s, Cassettes and Records. All

three are different, and one is

causing a stir - showing a sexy

saddle-shooed female and some sort

of mechanical monster.

Fleetwood Mac is gearing up for a

major tour in support of their new

album - “Tango in the Night.” Lindsey

Buckingham is no longer with the

band.

First Monkees single in 18 years is out - On Rhino Records it‟s called “Heart and

Soul.” And they have a new album - “Pool It.” All of this is based on the new

Monkee interest.

New on MTV - “MTV‟s Musical Passport” and shows recording artists performing

in other countries. First show - Duran Duran In Rome.

Television news -

Passing - Hayden Rorke , best known as “Dr. Bellows” on “I

Dream of Jeannie.” He was 76.

Another sensational/sensationalist TV special - Don‟t miss the

Geraldo Rivera special - “Sons of Scarface - The New Mafia.”

Week of August 15, 1987

It‟s the second such special for Rivera - who produced “The Mystery of Al

Capone‟s Vaults” airing April 1986.

A man pointing what appeared to be a handgun at KNBC-TV Los Angeles

consumer reporter David Horowitz during a live broadcast and demanded that he

read a rambling statement on the air about the CIA and space aliens. The gun

turned out to be a toy and later, the man identified as Gary Stollman was

arrested. He‟s the son of a former pharmaceutical reporter for the station.

Top Hits In Britain -

I Just Can‟t Stop Loving You - Michael Jackson/Siedah Garrett

True Faith - New Order

Call Me - Spagna

Alone - Heart

Labour of Love - Hue and Cry

Always - Atlantic Starr

Toy Boy - Sinitta

Animal - Def Leppard

Who‟s That Girl? - Madonna

La Bamba - Los Lobos

Hot Hits -

Luka - Suzanne Vega

Who‟s That Girl - Madonna

La Bamba - Los Lobos

Don‟t Mean Noting - Richard Marx

I Still Haven‟t Found What I‟m

Looking For - U2

I Want Your Sex - George Michael

Rock Steady - Whispers

I Just Can‟t Stop Loving You -

Michael Jackson/Siedah Garrett

Heart and Soul - T‟Pau

It‟s Not Over („Til It‟s Over) -

Starship

Can‟t We try - Dan Hill/Vonda

Shepard

Lover Power - Dionne

Warwick/Jeffrey Osborne

Back in the High Life Again - Steve Winwood

Living in A Box - Living In A Box

Didn‟t We Almost Have It All - Whitney Houston

Doing it All For You Baby - Huey Lewis & The News

Week of August 15, 1987

Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Shakedown - Bob Segar

When Smokey Sings - ABC

Top Album Rock Tracks -

Touch of Grey - Grateful Dead

Paper In Fire - John Cougar Mellencamp

Hell In A Bucket - Grateful Dead

Bed of Lies - Cruzados

Here I Go Again - Whitesnake

Johnny B. - Hooters

Women - Def Leppard

Jane‟s Getting Serious - Jon Astley

Rock Me - Great White

Top Country -

She‟s Too Good To Be True - Exile

Born to Boogie - Hank Williams Jr.

I‟ll Never Be In Love Again - Don Williams

Make No Mistake, She‟s Mine - Kenny Rogers/Ronnie Milsap

Three Time Loser - Dan Seals

This Crazy Love - Oak Ridge Boys